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Question for those who've served in the Army

posted 2 years ago by CaptainCrozier (607)
17 replies | jump to latest

I never have and have scoured the Internet but haven't found an answer to this.
Let's say you enlist at 18.
After 20 years or so, by which point you've presumably attained a fairly high and senior enlisted rank, you decide to become a commissioned officer.
You go to West Point or wherever to study to become one.
Upon receiving your commission, do you start out as a second lieutenant, or would you get promoted instantly to a rank/grade more befitting an officer your age, such as captain or major?

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

i think 38 might be too old for west point.

[–] Quasimodo (16388) 2 years ago

Captain Captain Crozier ?

[–] sslssg (34211) 2 years ago

The US Army?

[–] chilidoggg (14267) 2 years ago

I'm guessing that if you enlist at 18 and get to 37 without being recruited for Officer Candidate School, you're not getting into West Point at 38.

[–] CaptainCrozier (607) 2 years ago

So basically once you reach a certain age, as an enlisted solider, you become too old to be an officer?

[–] chilidoggg (14267) 2 years ago

I think based on all the testing you get in the Army, both written and observed, someone will recommend you for OCS if you merit such.

[–] Keelai (34858) 2 years ago

Young people go to West Point to enter the military as commissioned officers. Older people don't attend.

Or you can directly enter the military and move up rank through promotions over time.

[–] CaptainCrozier (607) 2 years ago

Is it possible to become a commissioned officer by showing sufficiently good conduct and leadership without having to go through official training? And for such a turn of events to happen after the age of 30?

[–] jriley555 (8118) 2 years ago

No, though warrant officers I believe can do that. During wartime, able NCOs are sometimes given battlefield commissions which may or may not be rescinded later. I believe those folks do have to go through OCS.

My uncle went into the Army before WWII as a high-school dropout private, came out a Captain.

Some enlisted personnel are selected for the service academies, but they likely have to be at latest in their early 20s.

You can be commissioned probably into early 30s, if suitably educated and otherwise, going directly into OCS.

Regardless of prior rank, all service academy graduates come out as O-1, 2d Lieutenant or equivalent, though prior service probably puts them ahead of non-prior-service graduates in seniority, priority for later promotion.

[–] nyctc7 (43591) 2 years ago

*1. You can attend one of the service academies, such as West Point or the Naval Academy. They are college-age people. West Point says:
Applicants must meet the following basic eligibility requirements:
-At least age 17, but not 23 or older, on July 1 of the year you enter West Point
-A U.S. Citizen (See Information for International Cadets for exceptions)
-Not married
-Not pregnant
-Not legally responsible for child support

*2. You can join the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at a college that offers it. Upon graduation you will be commissioned an officer. Typically must be at least 17 when starting and under 31 years old when finishing.

*3. If you are a college graduate but did not do ROTC, then you could attend attend an Officer Candidate School for the particular branch you want to join. For the Army:
-You must be a U.S. citizen and have your bachelor’s degree by the time you are commissioned as an Officer.
-The general age requirement is between 19 and 32.
-You also have to be eligible for a secret security clearance.
-If you’re current military, you can’t have more than six years of active service before joining OCS.

*4. Going from enlisted to officer: There are a few ways. Each branch will have some sort of commissioning program. They may send you to college, then to OCS. In some instances you may not have to go to college (I'm not sure). More info:
https://www.navyadvancement.com/enlisted-officer/
https://www.mcieast.marines.mil/Staff-Offices/Adjutant/Enlisted-to-Officer-Program/

But I don't think someone with 20 years as an enlisted person is going to do this. See the Army restriction above about no more than 6 years enlisted (there may be other ways, I don't know). When I was in (Marines) an enlisted who becomes an officer was known informally as a "Mustang." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustang_(military_officer)

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77378) 2 years ago

Wow, that was a thorough and interesting reply.
Thanks.

According to the link you provided the British equivalent of a ‘Mustang’ is a ‘Temporary Gentleman.’
Oh those adorable Brits😄

[–] nyctc7 (43591) 2 years ago

I think of myself as a Temporary Gentlemen. Then I got her into bed ;)

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77378) 2 years ago

You’re lucky you didn’t become a ‘Permanent Baby Daddy’😉

[–] nyctc7 (43591) 2 years ago

A key difference is that a Mustang doesn't necessarily refer to a temporary officer, for example, an enlisted made an officer in wartime, then discharged or reverted to enlisted rank after the war.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77378) 2 years ago

It seems like a dick move to demote a person after they served in a war.

[–] nyctc7 (43591) 2 years ago

I may be wrong about the individual being reverted to enlisted rank. When we draft people to go to war, the size of the Army swells, and cannot maintain that size once the war is over. Audie Murphy, the famous WWII hero and actor, won a battlefield commission and was eventually discharged as a Lieutenant. But I don't know how cases more ordinary than him were handled.

[–] BeaSouth (3283) 2 years ago

Good post. The essence of OP’s questioned seemed to me to involve whether an enlisted service member who becomes an officer gets to start at a higher officer rank than those following the same track for commissioning. I believe the answer to this is “no.” But, the enlisted soldier with his new 0-1 officer rank would get credit for prior enlisted service when it came to pay.